


Both of Them

by VoidofRoses



Series: Sunshine, Moonlight, Starlight [3]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Gen, Moomin is a bi disaster, but pappa has a worldly discussion about love with him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 09:14:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidofRoses/pseuds/VoidofRoses
Summary: It wasn’t that he didn’t like Snorkmaiden - she was beautiful, after all.The trouble was, he could count the ways that he admired her on one paw, while he had endless amounts of admiration for Snufkin that could be counted on all four of his paws.





	Both of Them

**Author's Note:**

> Same universe as both _Pumpkin Swirls_ and _Reflections_ , though it’s not necessary to read either. Time for bi disaster Moomintroll and straight but supportive Moominpappa to have a talk :)

As a boy, Moomin has always thought that he would end up in a relationship like his mamma and pappa. To a wide eyed child, they were his idols, and now he could see that he’d modeled his relationship with Snorkmaiden after theirs. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Snorkmaiden - she was beautiful, after all, had her head in the clouds as much as he had, though while she was dreaming of fairy tales and handsome princes, he was dreaming of adventure in the great wide world. She was sweet, caring, gentle but was learning to hold her own.

The trouble was, he could count the ways that he admired her on one paw, while he had endless amounts of admiration for Snufkin that could be counted on all four of his paws.

“You look thoughtful, Moomin.” Pappa’s voice broke him out of his reverie one afternoon early spring, turning his head where he could see his father sitting in his favourite verandah chair, reading the paper at the table. “Something on your mind?”

Moomin tilted his head in thought, playing with his tail in one hand as he watched the others play with the ball, Snufkin’s spring song floating on the air as the boy sat underneath a far off tree. He stood, going over to join his father at the verandah table. “Hey, pappa, can I ask you something?”

“Mmm, what is it?” Pappa’s tone was only mildly concerned, by the sounds of it. He didn’t even look at Moomin over the paper.

“Did you ever...was there ever anyone else other than mamma?”

The question came on an inhale from pappa’s pipe that left him choking, the paper falling to the table as he thumped his chest, hat askew. His cheek fur was tinted pink, and he rubbed at his chin when he compose himself, his other hand fixing his hat. “W-why do you ask such a thing?” he questioned, blue eyes looking at his son. Moominpappa cleared his throat, taking hold of his pipe and pulling it from his mouth, sighing. “I’m afraid I laid eyes on your mother and that was it for me. I was a fool hopelessly in love and have been ever since.” He eyed his son. “Why? Is there something wrong with you and Snorkmaiden?”

“Yes...no. No not really but...” Moomin sighed and buried his face in his paws, his tail lashing about behind him through the chair. “I think...I think I like someone else too.” He bit his bottom lip and looked at his father. “Is...is that wrong, pappa?”

The elder troll popped his pipe into his mouth for a puff of thought, closing his eyes. “If there was anything I learned on my travels as a boy, Moomin, it’s that love is...strange. She is spellbinding yet at the same time it depends on the person. Muddler and Fuzzy were so in love and yet Joxter and Mymble’s relationship was...strange. Hodgekins had no time for it, his heart in his inventions.” Pappa leaned back in his chair and looked out over his son’s friends where shouts of dismay and cheer were coming from their game. “How do you feel about this...hypothetical person, son?” He had his suspicions, actually, his eyesight darting to the mumrik under the tree before he looked at his son. “How do you feel about Snorkmaiden?”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Moomin began, his fingers threading together as he twiddled his thumbs, glancing down at the table. “I like Snorkmaiden a lot, I do, but...my heart feels heavy with want when I think about them.” He flushed and stumbled over his next words. “I...I mean...I want to spend every day with them, to fill my days till hibernation with things to dream of over winter.” He cradled his cheek as he flushed a darker pink. “I just...I long to just _be_ with them, I guess I...yearn?”

“Mmm, go on.” Pappa looked at his pipe thoughtfully, fingers of his free hand tapping at his armrest. So it was Snufkin, as he had guessed.

“I want to hear everything they say.” He was ranting now, he was sure of it, his arms wavering animatedly in the air. “I want to tell them how much I admire them. I...” Moomin flopped his head against the table, pressing his snout against it. “I don’t know, pappa. I just know that I _want_ to be with him.”

“And Snorkmaiden?”

“I...” Moomin ran his fingers through his fur, dropping his paws to his shoulders. “I love her, but it feels different.”

“You don’t yearn for her,” he summarised for his son, looking at him with knowing eyes. “Not the same way you do for Snufkin.”

“Yes, I...” Moomin shook his head, looking at his father with a frown and an angry lash of his tail. “You _knew_ , papa?”

He chuckled around his pipe. “My dear boy, it’s hard not to see that you care for him,” Moominpappa said with a sigh, shaking his head. “Mamma and I have known for a long time. I was simply beginning to wonder when you would notice yourself.”

“So what do I do?” Moomin whined, his snout flaring with a huff. “I have to choose one or the other, don’t I? I can’t be with both Snorkmaiden _and_ Snufkin?”

“Well, yes you can.” Pappa gave him a smile, watching his son’s annoyed expression fade with surprise. “Mymble had other lovers aside from Joxter, but they always came back together and he didn’t seem to mind. There’s stories of people out in other colonies and kingdoms who have more than one partner.” He sat back in his chair, fingers curled around his pipe as he admired the woodwork of the ceiling. “Son, your mother and I support you no matter who you choose to love. You don’t need to have a single love like us, if that’s what you don’t want. We came to terms long ago that you might wander off following after Snufkin.”

Moomin looked at his paws, thumb rolling over the pink pad in the center. “So...it’s okay? That I like both of them?”

“Yes of course.” Moominpappa inclined his head, closing his eyes. “But you must make sure that it’s okay with both of them. You can’t just lead one on with the other trailing after you.”

“I think I get it.” Moomin’s eyes wandered to the failing game of soccer, watching Sniff throw his hands up as Little My kicked the ball past him once again and wailing as though in great pain. Snorkmaiden met his gaze and waved him over, smiling cheerily as she and the other girl celebrated their win.

“Talk to her, son.” Pappa watched his boy turn his head to look at him as he stood from his chair. “She might be more okay with it than you think.”

“You obviously do not know Snorkmaiden, pappa.” Sniff called for him, and Moomin looked to the “field” where Little My was cackling as the little creature tugged at his ears and called for help. He sighed, feeling his chest light. “Thanks. I think...I think I’m thinking a lot clearer.”

“And it looks like you better help Sniff.”

“Mmm. Thanks, pappa.”

Moominpappa watched his son run off the verandah and the game be set up again, Snufkin coming closer to watch, sitting on one of the small hills that surrounded Moominhouse. He called out Moomin’s name in a cheer, and pappa could see his son’s flush from the porch. He sighed and went back to his newspaper as the shouts of teenagers playing filled the air.

Kids these days.


End file.
